Mallet Making 101 aka. Craft Time

Well then. How does one go about making a mallet? Hopefully this tutorial will set you on your way. Obviously this is just one guy's way to go about this, so feel free to improvise on this stuff. In the true nature of DIY, that is. Just try to not lose a finger doing this. you might want it for later to flip someone off or pick your nose. Just a thought. And about the only safety disclaimer for the process. Okay, there will be one more. Extra points if you can guess what it is.

Stuff You'll Need or Want:



Drill
Hacksaw
Drill Bits: 1/2'' counter sink, 5/16'', 7/64'' bits and a phillips head screw application thinger
5-7'' of ABS high density PVC (The white stuff is too brittle and will break and ruin your day)
Tape measure- Measure twice, cut once!
Sharpie- draw pictures and graphs, mark you buddies show yourself measurements
Ski Pole
Electrical tape- Because it's butch
Tyre Tube
Scissors (Not Shown)
Wood Screw- I'm using #8 1-1/4'' Metal screws here.

Got all your stuff? Sweet! Let's begin then!

The Pole:

Remove Basket and handle. Discard.



Forget they exist. You'll never need them again.

Now a note on length. 32-36'' is recommended. Actual length is to be determined by you. Just remember that it's easier to take it off than to put it on. You should start by hacking some off the tapered end, but you should leave taper on that end, seeing as taper is good, in fact it's great. You'll see why down the road here. Now measure off your desired length It might looky a little like this:



Then cut:



Feel super rad, because you're totally on your way to becoming a polo champion!

The Head:

Got the good black pipe? 1-1/2'' is the recommended diameter. Street hockey balls is what we use for this game, you don't want that mallet eating 'er up, now do you? Go about the length in the same manner as you would with the shaft. Make it long now, and cut to suit your needs.



So get your desired length and make yourself a mark smack dab in the middle.



This is where the power tool comes into play.

Tapping That Head:

Take your 1/2'' bit and drill through the top, but NOT all the way through:



Now get that 5/16'' and go through the hole you just made and drill through the bottom, trying to get it pretty centered, though it's not of grave importance if it's off a touch. You're going to ream that sucker to fit. So, as you start jamming your shaft into it you'll see that, with the taper, the 1/2" hole will get pretty tight. The bottom one won't want to go through. Ream to fit, and if there's any excess, trim it off. In the end it should look a little like this on the bottom:



It should be pretty snug and not allow for lateral play back and forth.

Fixing That Head:

Take the drill, now with the 7/64'' bit and drill yourself a hole. Take it at an angle from the top like this:



Drill through the PVC, into the shaft and through the shaft. Don't go through the other side of the mallet head.

Now take that screw and screw it in. It will be pretty tight, but with some persuasion it will go.



And snug:



You like it? You should, especially if you did it right. Don't bother plugging the ends. That's just a waste of time.


Handles:

Grab that old innertube (cut it with the not pictured scissors), or old bar tape or whatever you think will work. Wrap her up! Make sure to plug the end, as we don't want to have to deal with you impaling yourself or others because of laziness. If you luck out your super old ski pole will be rocking one already. If not, tape, an old wine cork whittled down or even an old handle bar cap will work with some persuasion. Here's what I came up with for this handle:





Now you're ready. Janky or not, you've got your own mallet. No more borrowing or any of the horse rubbish! Dial it out to suit your needs and/or style and get out there and play. How rad is that? Feel free to kick down a Sparks (Black Top) for the help, and we'll see you out there.